Screening of interspecific hybrids and their parents for resistance to phomopsis blight in brinjal

Abstract

The present investigation was conducted to screen two commercial cultivars Pant Rituraj, Pant Samrat and wild relatives viz. Solanum gilo, S. aethiopicum and S. khasianum; and their interspecific hybrids against phomopsis blight. Highly significant mean squares for
resistance to leaf, stem and shoot; and fruit infestation activities indicate the presence of sufficient natural variation among 20 brinjal  resistant breeding. For leaf infestation, stem infestation and fruit infestation either S. gilo or S. khasianum had highest value of plant showing resistance rated as highly resistant. Among the F1 hybrids Pant Rituraj × S. gilo, S. gilo × S. melongena, S. aethiopicum × Pant Samrat, S. aethiopicum× S. gilo, S. gilo × Pant Samrat were identified as highly resistant.Among the F1 hybrids, crosses involving S. gilo
as one of the parent showed high level of resistance against phomopsis blight. Successful gene transfer from these wildm atives is possible through back cross except from S. khasianum which needs the support of biotechnological tools.